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SAMPLING MONITORING WELLSHow To Collect Samples: An Instruction Set

By William NovakAs discussed in my previous paper, a monitor ing wel l is a pipe bored into a groundwatersource that col lects water for test ing purposes.With our knowledge of how a monitor ing wel l works, I can now descr ibe the process ofcol lect ing samples from the monitor ing wel l through the process of bai l ing. Bai l ing is a termreferr ing to the removal of water f rom a source with some kind of conta iner.I wi l l now descr ibe the specif ic procedures to ef fect ively col lect samples from a monitor ing wel l

Required ItemsQuantity Name Description

1 Depth GaugeA depth gauge is a device that measures how full the monitoring well is and the depth to th

bottom. There are calculations that need to be done to know how much water will be

bailed.

1x Roll1x Bottle

Paper Towels &Cleaner

Paper Towels and Cleaner will be used to clean off the tape of the depth gauge after you

have gotten your measurements from each of the wells. Use soap and water as the cleaner

1 CalculatorA calculator is used for calculating the volume of water that needs to be purged from the

well before collecting a sample.

2-3Five Gallon

BucketsFive gallon buckets are used to travel the purged water to either the collection drums or a

dumping spot.

Varies* BailersBailers are plastic tubes that can fill up with water and retain the water while you are

retrieving the bailer from the well.

1x BoxBoxed Nylon

TwineTwine is the string you will be using to get the bailer to the bottom of the well. I advise you

to purchase boxed twine due to having a larger capacity and ease of accessibility.

1 A Knife A knife will be used to cut the twine to length.

1x BoxDisposable

Latex Gloves

Latex gloves are used to keep the oils on our hands from contaminating the well samples.

They are also used to protect our hands from the substances in the water and the abrasion

from the twine.

Varies**50 Gallon

Collection DrumA collection drum is used to store the contaminated purged water of a contaminated well.

Varies***Collection Vials

and coolersA collection vial is purchased from a testing facility that is used to store the sample from the

aquifer. The coolers are used to keep the ground water samples at ground temperature.

* Double the amount of wells you are testing and add a few extra just in case damages occur.

**Water only needs to be collected if it shows contamination. On average, a well can yield about 10-15 gallons of

water. To be safe assume four and a half wells will fill a fifty-gallon drum.

***Each well will have a sample collected. Some wells require larger samples than others. After the first sampling,

the testing facility will instruct you on how much the specific well needs to be sampled each time.

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Part 1: Well Calculations

1.1

Acquiring the

Measurements

1.1.1 To open the well, unlock the outer cap and remove the well plug.

The monitoring well is ready to be measured, purged, and sampled.1.1.2 Begin by slowly lowering the probe of the depth gauge into the well.

When the probe comes in contact with water, the tape housing will beep.The girl in pink above is shown doing this.

1.1.3 In inches, make note of the depth to the water.This is the first depth you need in the calculations to follow.

1.1.4 Continue to let the tape out until the probe reaches the bottom.There will no longer be a tension on the tape when the probe is resting on the bottom.

1.1.5 Also write this depth down in inches

This is the last measurement collected from the well. 1.1.6 While rolling the probe back up, clean off the tape with a soapy paper towel.

This will reduce the chances of spreading contaminates to other wells.

1.2Calculating the

Volume of

Water to be

Removed

1.2.1 Complete the calculations with the following list of labels:

Ad = Air Depth (This is the first measurement you took in inches)Td = Total Depth (This is the second measurement you took in inches)Wd = Water Depth (Wd = Td Ad)Dw = Diameter of Well (Measure this at top of well from edge to edge in inches)Vw = Volume of water that needs to be removed.

1.2.2 Using the water depth and the diameter of the well, calculate the water volume:

Vw = [Wd*(Dw)2]/294.3This is the volume of water that needs to be purged from the well. (In gallons)

1.2.3 Caclulate the amount of buckets required to empty the well:

Number of Buckets = Vw / 51.2.4 Repeat steps 1.1 and 1.2 for each of the wells to obtain their specific measurements.

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Part 2: Bailing

2.1

Preparations

2.1.1 Get two bailers per well.

The first one is used for purging.The second bailer is used to collect the sample.

2.1.2 With the twine, tie a knot around the top portion of the bailer.

A good knot to use is the constrictor knot. I explain how to tie this on the next page.

-IMPORTANT-Make sure the knot you tie is a good binding knot. You

DO NOTwant the knot to slip off when the bailer is in thewell. It is extremely difficult to retrieve the bailer if the knot comes undone while in the well. I HIGHLY recommend

the constrictor knot or one of similar quality.

2.2

Purging theWell

2.2.1 With the twine securely fastened, begin to lower the bailer into the well.

Bailers like the examples above have a ball that acts like a check valve in them. Uponhitting the surface of the water, the ball floats in its housing freely. This allows water to fi

the bailer.

2.2.2 After the bailer becomes full, retrieve it from the well.

A full bailer can be determined by its weight.Due to gravity, the ball returns to the closed position which traps the water in the bailer..

2.2.4 After retrieving the first bailer, check the water quality.

Certain gases and other contaminates can be visibly seen and smelled.If the water contains contaminants, dump the purged water into the collection barrels.Otherwise, the water should be safe to dump on the ground.

2.2.5 After purging the well, throw away the used bailer and twine and move onto the next well.

The recently purged monitoring well needs time to seep before a collection can be made

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Step 2.1.2: Tying the Constrictor Knot

Knot

Description

A good thing about the constrictor knot is that it is quick to tie and it tightens upon itself when

pulled on. It is also known to hold up in wet conditions such as this. In most cases it gets so tigh

that you cannot easily undo the knot. Since we are using this knot on a disposable item, it is gre

to tie to the bailer for sampling the well.

Figure 1Pass the working end over and through the hole at the top of the bailer. As shown, leave a smal

loop when going around.

Figure 2Again, pass the working end over and through the hole at the top of the bailer. After, pass the

working end under the part used to make the second pass but over the part for the first pass.

Figure 3 Go around the loop that was created in Step 1 and through it.

Figure 4 Pull both ends to tighten the knot. Make sure that it is fully tightened upon itself.

1 2 3 4

Source: http://www.marinews.com/Constrictor-Knot-610.php

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Closing

Statements

After collecting samples from each of the monitoring wells, they can be tested for contaminates

and other particles that may be in the ground water. It is important to monitor the spread of

contaminates in the ground water to keep the populations drinking water safe to consume and

use for other daily tasks.

Step 3: Collecting Samples

3.1

Preparations

3.1.1 After purging all of the wells, return to the first well you purged.

3.1.2 Change disposable gloves and get the second bailer tied to the twine.

3.1.3 Fill the unused bailer with the newly seeped water in the monitoring well.

3.1.4 Prepare the collection vials for the water samples.

-DANGER-Upon opening the collection vials, you may see a vapor evaporating into the air. This is an acid, usually Hydrochloric

Acid, that is escaping into the atmosphere. The testing facility will have added an acid to keep the samples

preserved after they are collected. As with any acid, Hydrochloric Acid is corrosive and will burn if it comes in direct

contact with the eyes or skin. You should avoid inhaling the fumes as they escape the container and any other

consumption that may occur.

-Seek medical attent ion i f an irr i tat ion occurs from contact.-

3.2

Filling the

Collection Vials

3.2.1 With the collection vials ready, use the water from the new bailer to fill them.

Most likely, the packaging for the bailers came with a device to push the check valve upand get water out of the bailer. This will allow you to fill each of the vials.

If there isnt a device, use the hole in the top to pour the samples into the vials.3.2.2 Keep the samples near ground water temperature while delivering to the testing facility.

Depending on the season, you may need to use a cooler on the job site to do so.3.2.3 After obtaining these samples, move onto the other wells and repeat steps 3.1 and 3.2.

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